:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54705581/121577227.0.jpg)
Kansas football made waves the weekend after National Signing Day last February, and the 2018 class is still a consensus Top-20 class among recruiting circles. With spring practices concluded, the coaching staff is continuing their recruiting efforts, and seem to be having some more success, especially in the state of Louisiana.
First, a quick recap of the 2018 class as it stands today:
2018 Kansas Football Recruiting Class
| Name | Pos | Size | 247 Rank | Rivals | Hometown | Other Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Pos | Size | 247 Rank | Rivals | Hometown | Other Offers |
| Clayton Tune | QB | 6'2" 195 lbs | *** | *** | Carrollton TX | |
| Anthony Williams | RB | 5'8" 165 lbs | *** | *** | Boutte, LA | TCU, Miss St, UCLA |
| Devonta Jason | WR | 6'3" 187 lbs | **** | **** | New Orleans, LA | Bama, LSU, Aub, UF, FSU, OU |
| Cartez Crook-Jones | DE | 6'4" 230 lbs | *** | *** | Grandview, MO | KSU, Mizz, ISU |
| Corione Harris | CB | 6'1" 170 lbs | **** | **** | New Orleans, LA | Ark, Aub, UF, OU, A&M, WVU |
| Aaron Brule | S | 6'2" 194 lbs | *** | *** | Metairie, LA | Ark, Ariz, ISU, Tenn, Cinci, Mem |
And now on to the recruiting hits!
On Tuesday, 4-star CB Kelvin Joseph, who is verbally committed to LSU, tweeted that he has scheduled three of his five official visits, and that Kansas is on the list. Joseph is out of Baton Rouge, LA, and is a consensus national top-40 player regardless of position. His offer sheet includes Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and plenty more.
On Monday, 3-star DT Josh Walker tweeted that Kansas made the cut for his top seven. Walker is a top-100 player in the state of Florida (as opposed to a national top-100 player). The other six teams that made his cut are Nebraska, North Carolina, Rutgers, Arizona, Minnesota, and Wake Forest.
Last week, Kansas offered Antonio Howard, a Juco CB from Miami, FL, by way of Independence CC (Kan). However, Howard verbally committed to Texas A&M the day after Kansas offered, and holds other offers from Louisville, Ole Miss, TCU, and Iowa State.
Kansas coaches aren’t just out making offers for the Class of 2018. Many offers have been extended to members of the Class of 2019 - kids who will be juniors this fall - and even some offers to members of the Class of 2020. Kansas is a school that has to do this sort of thing, that is, build relationships with kids early on so they can have a chance at them if (or when) the “power schools” come calling.
The coaching staff seems to be doing a good job of focusing on future recruiting classes while working on the current year. We’ll find out over the next year or two as to how well they can close, but for now, things continue to look promising as top recruits continue to make Lawrence an official visit destination.